If you enter your dog for a General Champion Show and there is no separate class for your breed, then you have to go for the AVNSC option.  Should you be placed (chance would be a fine thing....) 1st-3rd would that be a ticket to Crufts?

Just wondering......

No.

You have to place 1st - 3rd in a breed specific class that is offering CCs for that breed. (Unless your breed don't get CCs, but the WFT does). You'll find with the WFT, same with my WT, there are few CC breed classes for us (we only get 7 I think over the whole year).

If you enter AVNSC at a champ show it's ba basically just an open class. You can't qualify as they don't offer CCs for AVNSC :)

Thanks for that - don't worry I'm not obsessed with going to Crufts LOL.  Having seen some of the amazing examples of my breed yesterday at the Champion show (and several handled by professionals) I know that my girl wouldn't stand a chance at  Crufts.  But I will enter her for some open shows to get her used to it all - and it's fun.

>wouldn't stand a chance at  Crufts

She would against her own level of completion, in the young and classes the top winners have won out of. 

No-one expects to land best of sex or Best of breed.

I have never won well at Crufts even though I have three champions.

Didn't win my first Best of Sex at a championship show with CC's until I was showing my 4th generation bitch, and had been in the breed for 9 years.  There are others in  many breeds who have been showing for decades with never a top win.

There are lost of little milestones along the way that we aim for, our first red card, our first best Puppy, Best of Breed at Open level.

I still have many yet to achieve, and that's without aiming for CC's

Crufts was always my dream so I started by asking the same questions. For me it's just an acheivemnt to get there, so you should be proud to aim for it :)

I can't groom anywhere near as well as the breeders in WTs, and most of the big breeders use professional handlers! Although I might not do as well when I go, for me it's a family thing and everyone just wants to see me achieve my dream - just being there! :)

Have to ask -I worked out what a WFT is (even though I still can't help reading it out as a WTF) but what is a WT?

Welsh terrier !!

And I know the grooming is a huge part of your breed, but don't forget I qualified my first ever dog for Crufts, handled him to a CC out of 250 dogs (in spite of messing up my handling!) and also handled him to a First at Crufts - so a good dog can win out over the professionally handled ones. She'll presumably still have a puppy coat too so your grooming skills will improve as her coat matures. :-)

That's reassuring! Well done!! :D

I have twice beaten dogs that have been groomed well and handled professionally - so it's nice to know it's not always who's on two legs at the end of the lead but the quality of the dog too!

Having seen some of the amazing examples of my breed yesterday at the Champion show (and several handled by professionals)

I don't know what you mean by "professionals" because we generally don't have professional handlers in the UK (thankfully).

We have some in out breed. Maybe you don't class them as professionals - but everyone calls them professional handlers. They don't own the dog just pick it up in the morning, take it to the show and drop it off in the afternoon. I have seen the ones in our breed cross over in our type of terrier to the Lakeland, WFT and Airedale.

The WFT who has been  BIS at nearly every show this year is owned by a Brazilian and although Oliver (Striking Steel) wasn't at the show,  some of his other dogs were,  all handled by professionals.  I did speak to one of them who was a nice chap who looks after these dogs full time.  The level of grooming was dazzling, stunning. My girl looks coarse and hairy beside these creatures LOL.  How on earth they get that fine finish to the head and ears defeats me at the moment.

We have stripped her coat right back now, as advised by some of the WFT owners (and my friendly judge) to encourage the new coat to come through. Some of it is looking pretty wiry already, along the back and tail but still rather soft and curly at the sides still.  Still she is pretty cute even though rather too hairy LOL

I will get there in the end ......

Interesting -didn't realise it had got to this point in terriers. A shame I think, I would hate to see it become too americanised here.

How on earth they get that fine finish to the head and ears defeats me at the moment.

I am still asking myself this this... but I know the answer really, Ive been doing it 7 months and they've been doing it 7+ years! :P

That's about it really - they have been doing it for many years on many dogs, and you've only got the one dog to practise on and you've not been doing it long. Goodness knows I am ashamed of my grooming on my Yankee when I see the others at shows, thank goodness I don't show him anymore so I don't need to worry that he's only in a rough approximation of show coat! :-p

Well Lucy I always admire George's lovely coat and think he looks great.  He is getting on a bit in years now I think, bless him!

He's 12.5 years old now, but still happy to go on his long walks with Stephen. He does have a lovely coat, but I can see his head and neck aren't done to show standard, but I don't care! :-)

That's a coincidence I hadn't heard of wt until watching phil and kirsty and one the people they were looking for a house for had one. A lovely boy I had to look the breed up. Sorry for my ignorance just funny you should post so soon after I saw one

Yeah the welsh terrier community went crazy after seeing one on TV :D Was a lovely bit of promo for the breed! Were just off the at watch list, and although the breed is very popular in America they are still not common here! I've only ever seen one on a walk!

I don't think I have ever seen a WT on a walk and come to that never seen a WFT om a walk around here!  In Suffolk it is all gundogs and Jack Russells!

I know it wasn't about Bruno the wt but they clearly loved him amd he came over as a really nice dog.certainly good for his breed profile

I never even seen Cavaliers on my walks round here and they're supposed to be a popular breed. Like you say, it's all gundogs and terriers round here :-)

There is a WT at one of the agility training clubs I attend - he is work in progress :-)

I used to do agility with a standard poodle when I lived at my parents - my WT was brought with the idea to carry on agility with something a little smaller. I had a short list of breeds I wanted but meeting a couple of really good WTs at our old show made me pick mine! At foundation classes everyone laughed because compared to the collies my WT was a little monster!! Lol. So now she's in the show ring instead :P

When she retires from the ring I'll give it another go. Now she's just to interested in playing! (Or being a terrier!) Haha!

You will probably find as with my own breed that these more independent breeds are ready to grow some work ethic once truly mature and are best started later than the Velcro yes sir breeds.

My breed simply don't have the mental maturity until 3 to 4 years of age.